William Becomes a King
by Rosa Cotton
Summary: *COMPLETE* Based on A Christmas Carol. King William cares only about money - and hates Christmas. Will his eyes be opened? *First ever fanfic*
1. Default Chapter

 Disclaimer: I do not own A Christmas Story. It belongs to Charles Dickens. 

William Becomes a King 

A long, long time ago, there was a small kingdom, where everyone was happy and content and the king was deeply loved by all his subjects. It was such a long time ago that hardly anyone can remember the goings on that happened there. But I was there. And I saw all. So I will tell you about a time when not all was well in the kingdom and the king was not so loved. Sit down now and I will tell you all. 

King William was a proud king. Everything he wished was done. He lived in a large palace. And he had a lovely twelve-year-old daughter, Mary. But he was also cold and always wanted more and more money. He lived and breathed money. While he stayed in his treasure room, counting his money for days on end, the people of the country became poorer and poorer. They could not get any audiences with the king. Little Mary, however, would come down to the village and give out bread. 

But it was Christmas that King William hated the most. He could not see why everyone became so cheerful, why holly and pine decorated everything, and why everyone would go out in the cold, singing carols and having bonfires and being merry. And all the present giving! Why, if there were a tax on getting presents, he would have to have another treasury built! Such a waste it was --spending money on such plain things like wooden animals and little scarves, when he could get ten fresh horses! 

Now it was Christmas Eve again, which always came too soon for William. Mary was in the village, once again giving out bread and wishing all a merry Christmas. And the grownups who took her bread whispered to one another, "Ah! How sweet she is! So kind-hearted, too. Just like her mother. Why couldn't the king be as warm as she, instead of cold?" After all the bread had been given away, Mary had enjoyed a snowball fight with the children under the watchful eye of her kind nanny. 

And where was William all this time? In his treasury, counting his money. Sometimes the voices of carolers would float up to his window, and he would growl softly to himself, "The wretches! Don't they know that such noise will make me lose count?" 

Then came the black of night; the singing voices were no more, the fires died down, and all the lights in the village blinked out one by one, as all went peacefully to bed that night. 

William was still counting his money by candlelight when Mary entered. "What do you want?" he asked gruffly. 

"It's after eight o'clock, Father," Mary said. 

"Well, then, you should head to bed," William said without looking up from his pile of gold. 

"Yes, Father," Mary answered. "Good night." 

She hugged him and would have kissed his cheek, but he pushed her away, and in doing so, his arm knocked into some stacks of coins piled on each other. Gold coins rolled allover the table and floor. 

"Oh! Look what you made me do!" William shouted. "Now I'll have to start over." 

"I'm sorry, Father. Here, let me help you pick them up," Mary offered. 

"Get out of my sight!" William commanded. "You shall stay in your room tomorrow for doing such a thing." 

"Oh, please, Father! Tomorrow is Christmas. Let me go down to the village in the morning for the festival, and I will stay here all the rest of the day. Please!" Mary begged.

  


William was by now in a terrible rage and wanted to be rid of the child as soon as possible. "All right! But only until the bells chime noon." 

Mary moved to thank him, but he again pushed her away. "Now, get out of my sight!" 

Mary held her head high, hid her sorrow, and kept the sob in her throat till the door closed behind her and she was in her nanny's warm, loving arms. 

William gathered the scattered money and started counting. Over an hour later, William's eyelids started feeling heavy, and he finally left the treasury and went up to his bedchamber. After getting into his nightgown, he crept under his bed covers and was soon fast asleep. 

He tossed and he turned. He saw Elizabeth -- his Elizabeth. When they had run along the little brook in the garden, she had been _so _beautiful. And she was even lovelier in his dreams. "Come and catch me, William," she cooed softly. He reached out his hand to grab her, but she slipped out of his grasp. "Come, William," she said, holding out her hands. He paused. Midnight struck. A mist rose and she disappeared from his sight. 

"Elizabeth!" he called. 

"William…," her voice came distantly. "William…."

He could not see a thing now; he was surrounded by darkness.

"William."

William opened his eyes. Standing at his bedside was a lovely young woman. She had a flowing dress of gold. She was barefoot. Her hair was of golden sunbeams. She wore on her head a crown of holly. Her skin was golden like a child's who had played in the sun, and her eyes were the color of the blue sky. On her shoulders was a set of golden wings. She was surrounded by a golden light. 

William held a hand in front of his face to shield his eyes from the bright light. "Who are you?" he asked in a gruff, trembling voice. 

"I am your fairy godmother," the woman answered in a voice that was as soft as a flowing brook and as mighty as the loud bells. 

"What do you want?" 

"I have come to take you on a journey," the fairy godmother said. "For days on end you sit in your treasury counting your gold while the kingdom becomes poorer and poorer." 

"The kingdom is not poor," William objected. "I receive gifts from my nobles every day. All is fine." 

The woman shook her head. "But you do not help your other subjects. You do not accept audiences with your people. You are unworthy of the title king. Come now," the woman said, stepping toward the open window. "Time slips by." 

William shivered from the cold wind that came in. "It is cold. And I will fall, for I have no wings." 

The woman held out her hand. "Hold on to my hand, and you will not feel the cold, and neither shall you fall. Come." 


	2. Part Two

William slowly came from the bed and took the woman's hand. The next moment they rose off the floor and flew through the window and down the hill the castle sat on and over the tops of the trees and the village. Soon they were flying through darkness so thick that William could not see even the fairy. He clung tightly to her hand. 

"Do not fear," he heard her voice from his side. 

Suddenly a great ball of white light exploded before them. William shut his eyes against the brightness, and when he opened his eyes, he and the fairy were on the ground once again. Looking around, he perceived that they were in a village.

  


"Do you know this place?" the fairy asked, looking at him. 

Oh, yes! I used to come here quite often with my nanny when I was but a lad, when Mama would have tea with Grandpa," William answered, surveying all about him with a look of wonder and joy. He called out a greeting to a passing man, but the man did not greet him in return or even glance at him. William looked questioningly at the fairy. 

"These are shadows of your past. They can neither see us nor hear us," the fairy explained. 

Children ran laughing through the streets while throwing snowballs. Men and women, hurried along, all the while wishing each other a merry Christmas. A rather large woman with silver gray hair and pink cheeks and wearing a black cloak entered the square with a little boy of about six years old with fiery red hair. The folk welcomed the lady and dropped bows and curtsies to the boy. 

"Do you know that child?" the fairy asked William as they watched the village children shyly come and play with the boy. 

"It's me!" William softly said. 

"And the woman?" 

"My old nanny. Dear sweet Martha. She would chase me through the halls trying to catch me. She also comforted me when Mama died. She died shortly after Grandpa gave me Glen Castle," William answered. 

The fairy laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come. We must move on." 

William cast a last glance at the boy and turned to follow the fairy. He was surprised to see that they were suddenly no longer in the village but now in a large ballroom in a castle. A tall Christmas tree decorated with flickering candles and red bows and silver balls was tucked into a corner. Tables were 1aden with the most delicious pastries and sweets and dishes. Steaming wild goose and duck and pig made one's mouth water. Couples in handsome suits and dazzling dresses waltzed around the floor. . 

"Do you know where we are?" the fairy asked. 

"Do I?!" William cried. "This is my grandparents' winter castle. Every Christmas we would come here and have parties and balls and feasts. We would tell stories around the fireplace in the great hall and play games. What fun we had!" 

"And now you spend Christmas in your treasury," the fairy rebuked him. 

William hung his head, and there was an awkward silence between them. They looked on as the crowd parted and bowed to two men as they passed through. The older of the two had a gold crown on his head and was dressed in fine robes. His hair was white, and his beard flowed below his waist. The younger man, who appeared to be around twenty years old, was tall and handsome. He was dressed in red pants with gold stripes down the sides and a white shirt with a red coat over it. In the warm light from the torches and candles, his hair appeared golden red. Coming through the guests, the men stood next to William and the fairy, allowing them to hear their conversation. 

"Well, William, my boy. How are you enjoying the evening? Have any of the ladies appealed to you?" the older man asked, patting the lad on the shoulder. 

The youth smiled and shook his head. "No, Grandfather. None of them has interested me. As for my enjoying the evening, the food has never been so good. The music is wonderful. And the couples whirl round and round as though like on a music box. But I have not yet had the heart to dance." 

  


A flash of deep green silk flashed by the men and William and the fairy. The youth jerked his head to follow the silk; a lovely young woman with laughing green eyes and hair of spun gold looked over her partner's shoulder and met the youth's gaze for a moment before she was lost among the dancers. 

William came from the trance the passing woman had put on him and listened to the old king. 

"Well, if you aren't in the mood for dancing, you can sit with your grandmother and mother and me. But you do know your mother is hoping that one of the young ladies here will catch your eye and --" 

"Excuse me, Grandfather," the youth interrupted, "but I want to see something." Bowing to the king, young William walked over to where a young woman in a frock of green silk was taking some refreshments. The old king watched with amazement and interest as William brushed the woman's fingertips with his lips while holding her gaze and waltzed her onto the dance floor. The king chuckled contentedly, shared a grin with his wife and daughter across the room, and went over to get some wine. 

"What was so special about this ball?" the fairy asked. 

As William watched his young self and partner whirl by, he said, "I had come of age, and my mama wanted me to choose a bride." 

"Who is the lady?" 

"She is Elizabeth, one of my grandfather's knights' daughters." 

"And who became your wife before the harvest began!" the fairy added. William nodded. 

They watched as they whirled round and round again. The fairy touched his arm. "We must move on," she said, leading him from the room to a dark passageway. 

William watched the smiling couple a moment longer, and then turned down the hallway. 

They were in a bedroom with the curtains drawn. The only light came from a few lighted candles around the room. A four-post bed with white linen and sheets was to one side of the room. And lying underneath the covers was a woman merely skin and bones, so thin was she. Her face looked more old and wrinkled than her real age. Her gold hair was turning silver. Next to the bed a woman stood, holding a bundle wrapped in a cloth. 

The woman in the bed made a sign for the woman to come closer. "My queen?" the woman asked. The queen gently stroked the little head that poked out of the cloth.  

"Take good care of her," she said softly. "And tell the king that I waited as long as I could. Give him my love. I shall wait for him." And with that, the lady shut her eyes and breathed her last. The woman started sobbing. 

A few minutes later, there was the sound of loud voices in the hall, and a man burst through the door. The woman curtsied. The man looked at the bed, and then looked at the woman with the bundle. "How long?" he asked, staring at the pale face on the pillow. 

"A few minutes ago, Your Majesty," the woman answered. "She lasted as long as she could. She grew weak in the six months you were gone. If you hadn't been playing games with the ogre so much to win his gold, you may have seen her before she left. She gives you her love and shall wait for you." 

As she finished speaking, the king slowly approached the bed and took the cold white hand that rested on top of the covers.

  


"It couldn't be helped," the king said. "The ogre placed much on the bet, and I had to have it."

"But you have more than enough riches," the woman said. The king did not answer. There was silence. 

"Do you know where we are?" the fairy asked William. 

William nodded. "This is Glen Castle, a wedding present from my grandfather. One year I heard from travelers passing through the kingdom stories of an ogre who had a cave full of treasure. He would play a game of chess with any knight who wished to play. If the knight won, he could get as much treasure as he could carry. If he lost, he paid the ogre. I wanted to see this for myself; so I set out with a group of twelve men and went to the ogre. The queen begged me not to go, but I greatly desired to see the wondrous treasures I'd heard about. The ogre and I played a long game, but I won in the end, and when he showed me the cave, I hardly knew what to pick first. After that I begged for another game and another. For six whole months I stayed there and played against the ogre until I finally heard that the queen had fallen ill. I then set home with all the treasure I had won." Motioning toward the scene, he finished, "But I was too late to say good-bye." 

A wailing cry broke the silence. The king looked up from where he knelt at the bed. The woman stepped forward. The bundle she held squirmed. 

"The queen gave you a daughter six weeks ago." The woman held her arms out so that he might see. 

From the dark corner where William and the fairy watched, they could not see the infant but watched the king's reaction. The king looked long at the tiny face that peeked out from the cloth without a hint of emotion. 

"What a pity her hair isn't gold like her mother's;" he said with disappointment. 

The woman looked at him with surprise. "The queen asked that she be named Mary." 

"So be it," the king said, nodding his consent and walking toward the door. As though remembering something, he turned and said to the woman, "And you shall be her nanny." The woman bowed, and he went out the door. 


	3. Part Three

The fairy held out her hand. "Come, we must continue on. There is still much to see." William took her hand, and the room and the woman disappeared. They now were flying through space past millions of stars. As they flew, the dawn appeared on the horizon, and as they met it, they were engulfed in yellow light so bright they both had to close their eye for a moment. When they opened their eyes, they were in the village below William's castle. 

"Welcome to Christmas morning!" the fairy said, waving her hand toward the smiling villagers who were hurrying through the streets. William looked at her and surprisingly noticed a change about her. When she had first appeared at his bedside, she was all gowned in gold and her hair had been below her shoulders. Now, in the morning light her dress and hair were yellow like the corn, and her hair hung below her waist. Her eyes were now hazel instead of blue. 

Meeting his gaze, and as though knowing his puzzlement, the fairy said, "It is not of importance for you to worry yourself about. Look! And see how your subjects celebrate Christmas under your rule." 

William turned his gaze to the scene before him. Men and women bustled along, wishing each other a merry Christmas. Coins clinked merrily into beggars' cups. Children ran throwing snowballs at their friends. Dogs were given larger than usual bones for a good sup. And as the church bells rang out, all gathered at the church to give thanks. 

As William watched them, he noticed how most of the people's clothing was a bit shabby and torn, and holes were patched with different patches of cloth. Their shoes had been almost worn through. 

"Why do the villagers run around with such old clothes and not buy new bonnets and aprons and shoes?" William asked, turning to the fairy. 

She turned her eyes on him. "They would if they could. But they cannot because the taxes are high, and lately you haven't had plain cloth brought for them. The gold and silver, fancy clothes, and jewels for your friends --the villagers could not make use of, nor could they afford. Many, many times have they asked for audiences with you. But they have been refused. So they go about in their old clothes, being as content as they can be with their family and friends, despairing of your help, while Mary comes down and hands out bread." 

William was silent as he pondered these words. 

"They're coming!" a woman's shout broke into William's thoughts. He looked up as a crowd of people gathered together at one of the streets. They parted, and William and the fairy saw Mary and her nanny come through, baskets full of bread in their hands. All called a greeting to the little princess and gave her a bow and a curtsy, along with a happy smile. 

Mary and her nanny put their baskets down near where William and the fairy stood and, after returning the greeting, started handing out the bread. Mary had on a cloak of berry red; she pushed her hood back, and her red hair shone golden in the sunlight. 

William and the fairy heard an old woman mutter, passing by after receiving some bread, "She is the spitting image of her father, yet is so much more like her mother." 

The fairy looked at William. "Your daughter seems much loved by your subjects." 

William nodded. As she gave bread to a woman, Mary said suddenly, "Leah, I forgot to thank you for giving me those beautiful colors of yarn!" 

Leah smiled and curtsied. "I am honored that the yarn pleased you, Your Highness. Have you used any of it yet?" 

Mary nodded. "I used the yarn the color of royal red and knitted a scarf for Father. Red is his favorite color." 

"Was he pleased with the gift?" 

Mary sighed and shook her pretty little head. "No, he was not pleased. Come, I will tell you what happened." The villagers gathered around. 

"I rose up early in the morning to quickly finish knitting the scarf. Father was in the throne room, receiving gifts from his friends, though I do believe that none of them are really friendly to him. Well, nanny helped me into my new dress, and I ran down to the throne room and impatiently waited to be presented. When I entered the throne room, Father was sitting on his throne and all the lords, dukes, barons, counts, and all his court were there. I approached him and curtsied. 

"'Good morning, daughter,' he said in his gruff voice.

"'Good morning, Father. Merry Christmas!' I said. 

"'What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?' he growled.

 "'I have a present for you, Father,' I said. 

"His eyes gleamed like diamonds, and he rubbed his hands together and said, 'What is it?' 

"I stepped forward and brought the royal red scarf from behind my back and handed it to him. For a long time there was silence as he fingered it and examined it. Then, turning his eyes on me, he asked, 'Why is it red?' 

"I answered, 'Because red is your favorite color, Father.' 

"Then he rose and said in an angry voice, 'Why couldn't you have made it silver or gold!' Look! Look around me and see what I have received.' And then he pointed out to me all the wonderful things his friends had given him: the silver mechanical nightingale, the golden apples that were as sweet as honey, the gold and silver swans, and all the wonderful rich gifts that he had received. 

"And when he finished showing me all these he said, 'How can you bring such a worthless gift into my presence? It is not sweet like my golden apples. It is not beautiful like my silver and golden swans. The only thing it is good for is for some wretch who needs it to help keep warm.' 

"And then he took the scarf and ripped it to pieces. It took all my self-control to curtsy and apologize, to keep my head high and remain emotionless." The tale being finished, Mary wrapped her arms around her nanny and burst into uncontrollable sobs, and all the villagers felt pity for the child. 

"We're awfully sorry for you, princess," an old man said. "But the king has desired only silver and gold for the last fifteen years and cares about nothing else --and probably never will. His heart is cold and no longer feels any warmth or love." 

The princess turned her moist eyes toward him and said, "It is true, old father, that the king my father has no care for ruling his kingdom, only for his gold and treasure. But I love him with all my heart, though I live like one without a mother and father. And when he passes away, I shall probably be the only one to mourn his death. For his friends will be relieved that they no longer have to spend money on him." Then she buried her head in her nanny's arms again and continued to weep. 

"Ah!" the people whispered among themselves. "She's just like her mother at heart. Always loving. And she makes the best of Christmas with her nanny, even without her father." 

"Ah!" said the fairy to William. "She may be like her mother but is like her father in one way. For she hides her emotions from the court but then lets it out, while you try to run away from the emotion all together." 

William was amazed by the conversations that had taken place. It was the first time that he had seen Mary cry, for he never saw her much when he was in the treasury. He was not sure what to make of all this. 

Soon Mary dried her tears, apologized for forgetting why she had come, and resumed giving out the bread. After all the bread was gone, Mary joined the other children in singing songs and accepted the hair ribbons a seamstress gave her. 

The fairy led William through the village, and they watched as the villagers celebrated the holiday. They peeked in windows and watched families singing and laughing and otherssitting around the fireplace telling stories. Fathers held their little girls on their laps as they gazed deep into flames of the fires. Families sat down to a Christmas dinner of a small goose with cranberry sauce and fruit. -- a small feast, yet like a great banquet to the people who ate the simple meal. 

The fairy next led the king to a castle a little way from the village. They walked right through the walls and found themselves in a large room where a great party was going on, Gentlemen and ladies in their fanciest suits and dresses chatted around tables laden with the richest foods one could imagine. Servants walked around offering drinks. 

The couple that appeared to be the host and hostess was more handsomely dressed than any of the other guests. The man wore a green suit trimmed with silver, and his brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The lady wore a dress of gold and silver covered with diamonds. On her head was a wig with pearls and rubies. 

The fairy turned to William. "Do you know who that couple is?" 

"It's Count Duncan and his wife, Maria. He's a friend of mine," William answered. 

They watched as the couples dined on the rich food and exchanged handsome gifts. When they were all sitting around after the feast, a gentleman commented, "Duncan, I do hope that William hasn't been robbing you so much that you cannot provide for your family." A ripple of laughter filled the room. 

"Well, my friend," Duncan answered, "I wouldn't say that he is 'robbing' me, as you put it. But to stay in his favor is making me pay more than I would care for." This was greeted with a number of others agreeing with the count. 

"I dare say," said one man, "that the day we may cease spending gold piece after gold piece on the king will be a joyful celebration!" 

"Hear, hear!" was echoed around the room. 

"Now," Duncan said to his guests, "let us be merry while we can in our own houses than in the royal palace!" This was agreed upon, and the musicians started their playing again as laughter filled the room. 

William hardly paid attention to the scene before him as he pondered his friend's words. "Fairy godmother," he said, "I believe I now know the lesson that in all this I was to learn. I tell you that I will take it to heart and live it out before the day is over." 

"That is good, my godson," the fairy answered. "Now we must hurry; the day is nearly gone."


	4. Part Four

She again took him by the hand, and they walked outside through the wall just as they had entered. When their feet crunched on the snow, they rose off the ground and flew through the sky. William looked behind them and saw the sun as its last light disappeared. Again they raced headlong into darkness again. Unlike the first two darknesses of blackness and night, there was a strange foreboding about this darkness. It cast over William feelings of dread and doom and despair. He wondered if there were not unseen beings watching them fly by. Suddenly lightning flashed and thunder boomed all around them; then they were on solid ground again. They seemed to be on a road covered with a gray mist. It was raining as the lightning and thunder continued above them. 

"I do not recognize this place, fairy godmother; where are we?" William asked. Turning to her, he gasped. Her hair reached the ground; her eyes were black as coal. Her hair and skin and dress were white as chalk. She seemed like an old woman, but still she stood tall. Yet her skin and face, without wrinkle or crease, still seemed like that of a young girl. The fairy, looking about with her deep black eyes, did not answer his question but simply said, "Come." And they started walking down the road. 

After walking a while (William was not sure if they had walked for six minutes or six hours), three darkly clothed figures appeared through the rain and mist. William and his guide drew closer to where the three had stopped on the road. They could hear some of the conversation. 

"I don't know all; I only know he's dead," one figure said.

"I heard it was murder or poison," another said. 

"I doubt anyone will really worry. He's gone and all are happy," the third said.

 "Hear, hear!" the first said. 

"May the new majesty set things right," the second said. 

This was also agreed upon, and they moved on and that was that. "Those men seemed familiar," William said to the fairy. 

She did not answer but instead led him forward on the road. Soon they came to a huge stone wall that towered before them. William wondered how they were to get around it, but .the fairy took him by the hand, and they walked through the wall and found themselves inside a dark room with only a few candles to shed light. A bed was in the center of the room; there lay someone on it, but the face was covered by a sheet. Shadows danced on the walls. The fairy pointed a finger toward the bed and said, "Go." 

William looked at her, puzzled, and she made a sign with her hand for him to lift the sheet from the person's face. William began to tremble. 

"Please, fairy godmother! Show me more before I must see this face!" William begged. "So be it," the fairy said in a grave voice that sent a chill up William's spine. She turned back toward the way they had entered, and William followed. 

They no longer faced the wall but another room. A young woman was kneeling at a bed and seemed to be praying. An old woman came up to her, laid a hand on her shoulder, and said gently, "The ministers are waiting." 

The young woman rose from where she knelt and allowed the old woman to put a robe about her shoulders. The old woman then kissed her on both cheeks and curtsied. "Your Majesty," she said softly. 

"Not yet, my, friend," the woman answered. Then, taking a deep breath, she went out the door, followed by the old woman. 

Before William could think on this, he and the fairy were on the same road they had been on before. 

"Must we come back to this frightful place?" he asked. The fairy did not answer. "That young woman, she seemed familiar. Do I know her?" No answer. 

They continued on in silence for a while. "Fairy godmother, are the things that we're seeing things that have happened, will happen, or might happen?" The fairy only looked at him with her black eyes. "I promise you that this heart of mine is changing. It is!" Tears streamed down William's face. A great fear had seized him. He dreaded what would be at the end of the road. 

Two iron gates loomed before them and opened by themselves. William held back, but the fairy urged him on. He realized this was not the royal cemetery. It was where the beggars and wretches without family were buried. He took a little heart. The thought gave him very little comfort. 

"Why are we here?" he asked. 

The fairy pointed with her finger to a stone. "Go!" 

William trembled again. He begged, "Must I? Can we not do it together? Please show me just a little more --" 

The fairy turned her piercing eyes on him. Still pointing, she said, "Look!" Lightning and thunder responded with the loud command. 

William could hardly walk. He felt sure his knees would buckle. Kneeling next to the stone, he raised his eyes to the writing: KING WILLIAM II. Again the tears came. A cloud burst. Thunder crashed. Lightning flashed. Winds howled. 

William stumbled to his feet and turned to the fairy, still as a statue except for her white hair blown by the wind.

Oh, please, fairy godmother!" William cried, falling at her feet and wrapping his arm around her ankles. "Don't tell me that I am to lie with the worst people of the kingdom!" 

"You are unworthy of the title king!" the voice boomed, echoing what he had first been told at his bedside. 

"Please! Give me another chance! I will not look at another gold or silver piece again. I will listen to the villagers. I will not rob my friends. And I will love my daughter! Oh, I beseech you, fairy godmother!" William cried over the wind. 

Suddenly the wind stopped, the thunder and lighting ceased, the rain was no more. From far off, a distant sound came to William's ear. Louder and louder it came. "Long live the queen! Long live the queen! Long live the queen!" 

Then the storm started up again. The rain came harder. The wind blew stronger. A funnel dropped from the sky and touched the ground. Everything blew round and round. But the fairy was like a mighty oak. For not even a hair on her head did the wind blow. 

William felt the wind clawing at him, wanting to take him up in the funnel. But his holding onto his fairy godmother kept him safe. He looked up and saw with horror that they were inside the funnel. He buried his head in the fairy's hair on the ground and closed his eyes. 

All that he had seen flashed before him: his playing with the village children, the Christmas ball, his seeing his child, the village in the morning, Mary's tears, families full of joy, his friends celebrating, the men on the road, the covered body, the young woman, the gravestone. 

Voices echoed in his head. 

"You are unworthy of the title king!" 

"But you have more than enough riches." 

"What a pity her hair isn't gold like her mother's." 

"...he took the scarf and tore it to pieces." 

"I shall probably be the only one who will mourn his death." 

"He's gone and all are happy." 

"Long live the queen! Long live the queen! Long live the queen!" 

"Please!" William begged again. 

The fairy raised her arms, and the wind blew her hair. William felt the wind pulling him. "PLEASE!" he shouted and sat up. 

He was in his own bed in his own room. He looked about him, hardly daring to believe it. He opened the curtains and looked down on the village. All seemed quiet. Have I missed it? Am I too late? William wondered to himself. 

"Thank you, fairy godmother! I promise that I will not go back on my word. May every person have a godmother like you!" 

He could not believe it. He was in his own castle. He got dressed in a rush. As he hurried to the throne room, he saw one of the little kitchen boys. "Good morning, my good fellow! What's today?" 

The boy was struck dumb with surprise, for he had never heard such a greeting from the king to one like himself. He gave a bow and answered, "Why, Your Majesty, it be Christmas Day." 

"It's Christmas Day!" William said joyfully. The boy nodded. His fairy godmother had not let him miss it! 

"Oh! That is wonderful!" He took the boy by the hands and started doing a happy jig right there. All. the servants who happened to go by the hall stopped and looked again and gasped in amazement at the sight. 

William went to the throne room after wishing all he saw a merry Christmas. He happened to catch Mary and her nanny just as they were getting ready to leave for the village. "We will be back at noon, Father," Mary promised. "Very well," William said. 

He wondered whether to hug her or to wait for her to hug him. But she turned to the door without giving him one and would have gone out if William had not said, "Mary!" 

Mary turned back and was crushed as William embraced her. She was very surprised at this but happily hugged him back. 

Then William said, "You and nanny will not go alone today, for I will come with you, if you would like that." 

Mary's face burst with sunshine, and she hugged him once again. Oh! How she would love that! 

Then she said to him, "I have a present for you, Father. It isn't as pretty as your gifts from your friends. But I hope you like it." 

And from her pocket she drew out a royal red scarf, which was not tom to pieces. 

William took the scarf from her and wrapped it around his neck. "It's the perfect gift," William told her. 

Then William, Mary, and the nanny all skipped happily down to the village. And you can imagine all the amazed looks on the villagers' faces when they saw King William with Mary. It was a wonderful day, and William listened to all his subjects and played with the little children. And after that William never went to his treasury unless to give some money to someone in need. And when he stopped expecting his friends to give him great presents, they were truly friends to him. He spent many long evenings with Mary, reading to her by the fire. And so William became worthy of the title king and was deeply loved by all his subjects. And when he died, he was greatly mourned, for he had been a wise and good king. But during all the rest of hislife he never forgot his fairy godmother and what he had learned. 

And that is what happened, for I saw and heard all, and I have told you everything. And so my story is done. 


End file.
